What it means to have Tiger play Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup has been transformed into a must-see event next month. And it’s all because of one man.
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Tiger Woods has transformed the Presidents Cup into a must-see event at Royal Melbourne next month because it might also be the last time he plays golf in Australia.
Fans high-fiving, “Go Tiger-r-r-r” chant rehearsals, TV executives doing cartwheels and Presidents Cup organisers dancing a jig ... those were the sounds of golf yesterday (Friday).
All were triggered by the double-identity gag that had been anticipated for months.
Woods wryly delivered at yesterday’s announcement: “As captain (pause) I’m going to choose Tiger Woods as the last player on the team.”
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He laughed when he started to get tangled in talking about himself in the third person.
“He’s made, what, nine Cups and he’s played in Australia twice, so this will be his third appearance there as a player and ... err ... this is interesting talking in the third person,” he said.
Last picked, but first in every sense.
Woods will play, as well as captain, Team USA at the Presidents Cup on December 12-15 so he can twist the knife of victory in two roles against the Internationals.
“It’s going to be difficult, but also I have amazing assistants with Fred (Couples), Strick (Steve Stricker) and Zach (Johnson) – three great minds who can help me when I’m playing,” Woods said.
It is eight years since Woods last walked fairways in Australia at the 2011 Presidents Cup so don’t count on the greatest of the modern era being back in another eight at 51.
Woods sidestepped a “last visit” question on Friday but it will be a fair thought for 20,000 fans a day straining for a Tiger moment.
“I don’t know if it’s the last time I play down under,” Woods said.
“I can still play at the (Australian) Open or some other event (so) let’s just focus on us coming to Royal Melbourne.”
Now the captain has picked Tiger, the captain has to thrash out some tricky questions with himself.
He can’t play all five sessions and be a great captain, so how many? It’s three tops.
He’ll have to play the lead-off singles match of the 12 on the final day so he can best guide his players to the climax.
Can he make more tough decisions like phoning friend Rickie Fowler to tell him he missed the team?
That was the template of American Hale Irwin in Virginia in 1994 when the only other captain-player in Cup history sat out two four-ball sessions and played both foursomes.
Nothing but the eighth successive American win in the Presidents Cup will do – with or without world No.1 Brooks Koepka, who may yet withdraw with a knee injury.
Woods loves the fervour of an away game and vocal galleries who will feed off the deeds of four Australians, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.
“Every other sport, the best thing about going over into their arena, is silencing the crowd,” Woods said.
“My boys are extremely competitive, they are fiery and I see them playing well in that type of environment. They love it.”
How strong this American team is reflected in Woods’ four discretionary captain’s picks compared with those of Internationals leader Ernie Els.
Woods whistled up US Open champion Gary Woodland, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, world No.14 Tony Finau and himself, a 15-time major winner.
The Internationals included Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Korean Sungjae Im, two fearless 21-year-old stars but with a single PGA Tour win between them.
“Yeah, on paper, we certainly have the advantage in the world rankings but, like I told the guys, when you start out it’s 0-0,” Wood said.
“We have to go out and win this cup.”
THE PRESIDENT’S CUP
December 12-15, Royal Melbourne
INTERNATIONALS: Adam Scott (17*), Hideki Matsuyama (20), Louis Oosthuizen (23), Marc Leishman (27), Jason Day (29), Sungjae Im (34), Abraham Ancer (35), Adam Hadwin (44), Cameron Smith (49), Joaquin Niemann (54), Haotong Li (61), CT Pan (62)
UNITED STATES: Brooks Koepka (1), Dustin Johnson (3), Justin Thomas (4), Patrick Cantlay (6), Tiger Woods (7), Xander Schauffele (9), Bryson DeChambeau (10), Webb Simpson (11), Tony Finau (14), Patrick Reed (15), Gary Woodland (16), Matt Kuchar (22).
* world ranking
Originally published as What it means to have Tiger play Presidents Cup